Monday, October 30, 2006

For Michigan fans, it might be tough to find a way to watch Michigan play Ball State this weekend. That's because the game is only being televised on ESPNU - not ESPN, not ESPN 2 and not on pay-per-view. And since ESPNU is only available on some satellite services (and not Comcast, the country's largest cable TV provider) many Michigan fans are going to be screwed.

Ohio State fans faced the same bullshit issue a few weeks ago when the Bucks played Indiana. Their game was also only on ESPNU.

And why is this happening? Why are there so few choices for college football fans to see the second ranked team in the country (or the top ranked in OSU's case)?

Well, as the linked article above explains, ESPNU bought exclusive rights so that more cable operators -- like Comcast -- will be pressured by customers to carry the station. Basically using college football fans as pawns in their negotiating tactics. Thus, Michigan fans will be forced this Saturday to go to a sports bar or simply follow on the sports ticker if they want to keep up with the Wolverines.

Or maybe not, folks.

I, your humble blogger, get ESPNU (while Benny does not). So we're feverishly working on a way that I can do live play-by-play over the Internet from my couch while I watch the game on TV. Sure, it's a crazy idea but, damnit Jim, it just might work.

Find a sports bar that plays all of the NFL football games (it means they have sattelite) and go watch it there. For the Ohio State game I went and watched it, I will say this they had an excellent broadcast of the game. It was definitely better than abc!!!

Anon 5:35 makes a good point, but while we wait for someone to pursue his investigation, I'm writing ESPN, and encourage you to do the same, to make it clear to them that I'm NOT writing to Comcast to compain.

Scott... writing to ESPN and their parent -Disney- will not accomplish anything. There was such an uproar in Columbus two weeks ago one would think Disney would have reconsidered this game. Obviously the Buckeye Nation's calls and emails fell on deaf ears. So will yours.

Next year, we will have to see what the Big Ten Football Network will bring us.

There's plenty of blame to go around here. As Anon pointed out above, the Big Ten deserves some for selling these rights. ESPN/Disney deserves some for using die-hard fans as pawns in their battle with the cable companies. And those cable companies deserve blame as well. They have 500 channels and they can't find a place for ESPNU? How can this not already be part of my expanded digital package?

Did ESPNU really buy anything itself? Doubtful. That would be like saying ESPN2 individually bought rights to a game they showed. I'm guessing they're all purchased by ESPN who then decides which channel to show them on.

Point is, I don't think UM or OSU sold individual game rights to ESPNU.

It also appears that you cannot even order this game through ESPN's College Gameday PPV package (http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/gameplan/howtoorder?poptv#tv and click on view TV schedule at the bottom of the page). I would have paid the $21.99 to watch it, but it is not even an option.

I have DirecTV with the sports package and Gameplan, so I got the OSU game that was on ESPNU, and was not affected. However, I think that the virtual holding for ransom that the WWL is doing is par for the course. They don't care about the fans, they want to make money and their shareholders are applauding the move. Evidently, the OSU lawyers don't bother with fine print (witness O'Brien contract debacle) and UM lawyers must be of the same ilk. If these two schools, with their influence, would be more careful in the next negotiations this would be averted.

I will say that ESPNU and CSTV, which is another obscure college sports themed channel, do have some decent stuff to watch vs the shit that is network primetime. At least it is OK for the college sports junkie in all of us.

It's Ball State. If you were playing a big school, you can be assured it would be covered on a major network. Maybe the UM athletic department should get the blame for the schedule and not the media.

Writing ESPN may help. South Carolina fans started a huge email campaign to get the USC-Vandy game on PPV (it was understandably on nothing originally) and ESPN picked it up by mid-week for Gameplan after initially saying they wouldn't. This is a little different situation in that the U is already carrying your game, whereas the USC-Vandy game was not being carried by another network or ESPN/ABC affiliate.

You can get the radio broadcast over the internet from mgoblue.com. The CSTV broadcast you have to0 pay for (I think) but the other option, qicktime i believe, is free and actually comes through well. If you don't have satellite radio it's another option.

I have the season package for gameplan (about 40% of the games are the likes of MTSU vs N.Texas) the other half are decent games. I also have XM satellite radio (does not broadcast non- BigTen Michigan games). So i'm in a minority(?) of people who would pay extra to watch/listen to "my team" play. Surely i'd give an extra $5 a month to get ESPNU. Why doesn't Cox cable get that? They are making that decision for me, at least let me decide right? Aside from that one, Cox cable does not allow me to view ESPN360 (another beast but same in nature), it's the friggin internet right? Yet my ISP doesn't support ESPN360...i'm at a loss, but willing to pay extra (within reason) for these services. Thanks to the poster who told me about the radio broadcast on mgoblue.com. My question is this, how many games has Michigan had on t.v. in a row (either by cable or gameplan).

I did an internet radio listen for OSU and Indiana. It was refreshing to listen to the game and I got some good insights from the announcers I would miss otherwise. The TV guys are all silly talk; the radio boys got it going on. Enjoy your game anyway you can Michigan fans.

om mgoblue.com in the football section their is a link for free audio for the game its in the next game section all you have to do is register and its free to listen http://mgoblue.com/section_display.cfm?section_id=185&top=2&level=2

Do what most sensible people did years ago, dump cable already and get DirecTV which has ESPNU. I'm sure they are giving away dishes and receivers (with a DirecTV subscription) this weekend at Best Buy, etc. like they are every weekend.

I am lucky that I have ESPNU on Dishnetwork. However, I had another beef with COX (my broadband provider), I have no idea why an internet provider would not support ESPN360?!!! Especially if that cable provider already carries ESPN.

I totally missed the Iowa game and had to watch it on replay on ESPNU.

Anyways, I'm very fortunate that we have a huge following and most of our games are televised. I would hate to have gone to an SEC school, ONLY half of their games are televised on either CBS/LincolnSports/Sunshine network if it's carried at all.

They pay peanuts for 480 or so of those channels. Disney charges an arm and a leg for each of the ESPN channels. My cable bill went up not too long ago solely due to a hike in ESPN fees. So, no, the cable company can't just replace the 5th shopping channel for ESPNU without taking a hit in their profit margin.

I feel for ya. I really do. Had to completely miss the OSU v Indiana game for the same reason. Sad isn't it. Unable to watch a perfectly good blowout. Used to love ESPN. Got on TV for Gameday in Columbus in '96. Can't stand what they are doing to College Football and cringe as to what it will be like next year. Ah well enjoy the "free" games while you can.

Anon 12:52 is right, the radio isn't too bad at all. I did homework while I listened and the commentary is much better than Spielman talking about Chad Henry and the Michigan offense. Why does he do so many Michigan games?

In response to Phoenixx10 - the freaking Gamecocks have been on TV (air, cable, PPV, national or regional) every week except 1 or 2 weeks at the most. A middle tier team in the SEC with that much TV and you're saying the SEC gets no TV? Get over yourself.

So, there is noooooo way to rewatch it later like a re-air on some other station later in the week? I can handle finding out the score and then watching it later. I will be unable to listen to the game during gametime so I am really screwed. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Maybe if scUM would play better out of conference teams (other than ND, yes I know you did play Colorado, but that was close to a dozen years ago) and could create ratings high enough to have their own network, then you wouldn't have to worry about watching your scrimmage against the Jason DimWhitlock's alma mater.

Follow the MZone

Subscribe To

The MZone-slash-MichiganZone.net-slash-MichiganZone.blogspot.com is in no way affiliated with the University of Michigan and/or U-M football in any way. If you thought it was, frankly I'm surprised you know how to use a computer.